Tag Archives: Duck Dynasty

I sometimes lament the amount of work to be done at the lake, but I sure do enjoy it. On one episode of Duck Dynasty, Jase referred to the outdoors as “God’s gym”. I can see why. There is no workout like the workout gained by clearing brush!

“Enjoyment of the landscape is a thrill.” ~ David Hockney via brainyquote.com

We got almost halfway to the lake clearing brush yesterday 3.14.2015

Here is the brush to be cleared along the channel 3.10.2015

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. ~ The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

We all need to step back and take a long, deep breath. Many who have voiced their opinions concerning A&E Network’s suspension of Phil Robertson for statements made during his recent interview by GQ magazine have staked their position based on a perceived violation of Robertson’s right to “freedom of speech”. While I agree with Robertson’s position, I disagree that his right to freedom of speech was violated. On the contrary, this whole flap is, in a way, “freedom of speech” on full display.

First, consider Phil Robertson, who offered an honest, albeit not eloquent, explanation of his view of homosexuality in response to a question posed to him by a reporter for GQ. Phil has the right to his opinion, and he enjoys the constitutionally protected right to express it. He was not arrested, nor has he been charged with a crime. A&E, however, suspended their relationship with Robertson because the network has taken a position contrary to Robertson’s.

Second, consider A&E. In suspending Robertson, A&E said in their public statement, “His (Robertson’s) personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely.” In so doing, A&E chose a side. Some, of course, are pleased with their decision while others clearly are not. In any event, A&E’s executives have the legal right to take this action. A&E is not a governmental authority; therefore their suspension of Robertson is not a fundamental impediment to Robertson’s Constitutional right to freely speak his mind.

Finally, consider the People’s response. Some are advocating a boycott of A&E. Others have posted reprimands on A&E’s social media sites. Some have praised the network for standing up for the LGBT community. Boycotts, reprimands and praise are all expressions of opinion; and as far as I know, none of the individuals offering this feedback have been charged with a crime for expressing their views. They are freely expressing their opinion and the government has not intervened.

So, in a nutshell, Robertson expressed his opinion, A&E spoke by their action, and the People are speaking out in response. Constitutional freedom of speech is alive and well in the USA!

The Newseum’s Five (5) freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment ot the US Constitution. 1. Freedom of Religion 2. Freedom of Speech 3. Freedom of the Press 4. Freedom of Assembly Peaceably 5. Freedom to Petition the Governement for Grievances (Opening April 11, 2008) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now it’s my turn. As a Bible-believing Christian, I agree with Robertson’s statements. I would have stated it differently, but I agree with the substance of what he said. I also support A&E’s right to take action; after all, they are a proponent of gay rights and Robertson appears on their network. With that said, A&E’s suspension of Robertson reeks of hypocrisy. I enjoyed several episodes of Duck Dynasty last night – aired on A&E and starring Phil Robertson. While they’ve taken a position, their financial bottom line still rules the day.

A&E’s tagline is “Be Original”. I’m sure they paid some public relations expert a lot of money to come up with that. I wonder what their meaning is behind those two words? What was it about those two words that struck a chord with A&E’s executive team? You see, no matter what position an individual adopts on homosexuality or any other moral issue, a person’s position is grounded in something. On the issue of homosexuality, Robertson’s position, and mine, is grounded in Scripture; A&E’s is not. Perhaps A&E should modify their tagline to something like this: “Be Original. Unless your Originality differs from ours. In that case, Be Quiet.”

(Phil Robertson photo source: Harvest.org)

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Social media is all abuzz after Phil Robertson of Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty fame answered questions concerning homosexuality during an interview for Gentleman’s Quarterly magazine. This statement seems to be the one that has so many people up in arms:

From a purely Scriptural standpoint, Robertson’s take on homosexuality is correct. The act of sex between two individuals of the same gender is a sin. Scripture is abundantly clear on this point in both the Old and New Testaments (Romans 1 is one NT example). As Martin Luther would say, “This is most certainly true.”

With that said, Scripture also teaches that each of us has sinned and falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) which pretty much levels the playing field here on Earth for all of us sinners, regardless of the sins we commit. Hence, all of us are in need of salvation – the homosexual, the drunkard, the swindler, the liar, the thief, the foul mouthed, those living lives of debauchery…you get my point.

So how does the Christian respond to this issue? I believe we are to be honest about what God tells us in His Word, and in doing so we are to share His word out of an attitude of love and respect for our fellow human beings; we are to love one another as Christ loved us (John 13:34). If we know what Scripture says but are not honest in sharing it, we are not acting out of love for our fellow human being; we are doing them a huge and selfish disservice. Such honesty comes with a price, and Phil Robertson is experiencing that now. Personally, I’d rather be Scripturally truthful and pay the earthly price for that than bow to the whims of societal PC when such is contrary to what Scripture teaches. I suspect that Phil Robertson feels the same way.

Although the precept of “hate the sin, love the sinner” is not recorded verbatim in Scripture, it is a precept that Jesus demonstrated throughout His earthly ministry. I believe it is the precept that we who trust in Him as our Lord and Savior ought to live by as well, especially when dealing with sin in our own lives, in the lives of others, and in society at large. Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well offers a good example of this (John 4:5-26).

Phil Robertson also said this:

“If you simply put your faith in Jesus coming down in flesh, through a human being, God becoming flesh living on the earth, dying on the cross for the sins of the world, being buried, and being raised from the dead—yours and mine and everybody else’s problems will be solved. And the next time we see you, we will say: ‘You are now a brother. Our brother.’ So then we look at you totally different then…We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job…We just love ‘em, give ‘em the good news about Jesus – whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ‘em out later.” (See link above)

Those wanting to burn Robertson at the stake aren’t talking about that comment. I’d say he hit the nail on the head.

(Photo credit: harvest.org)

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Every few years, we North Texans are blessed with ice raining from above and coating everything from roads to power lines to trees. We’ve watched countless news reports of vehicles stranded in lines miles long on the frozen Interstates – most of those are truckers just trying to get their loads through our region to their final destination. I know of at least one friend who is still without power at her home. I’m hearing that the ice storm of December 5-6, 2013 is much earlier than normal. Perhaps that’s true; the last major ice storm in these parts wreaked havoc on the 2011 Super Bowl at Jerry World.

Here in Keller, Texas we are just south and east of the worst-hit areas of Denton and surrounding communities. Fortunately we sustained no damage at my house. My pool pump, however, decided that just before the storm would be the perfect time to lose its prime. Since the motor still runs I’m hoping it’s repairable, so to keep it from freezing up and cracking I built a structure out of cardboard, plastic and duct tape. Inside of is a heat lamp that has been illuminated since the mercury first approached freezing. As I admired my handiwork the thought came to mind that even Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame would be proud!

We used our “iced in” time to enjoy some much needed R&R. As the ice fell Thursday evening we enjoyed NBC’s live presentation of “The Sound of Music”. I thought it was a cool production. Friday I worked from my home office, then treated the family to a double feature of “Jingle All the Way” starring The Arnold and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” featuring my favorite family man Clark W. Griswold played by Chevy Chase. Our double feature Saturday evening was “White Christmas” starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Allen and “Four Christmases” with Vince Vaughn and Reece Witherspoon.

Crepe Myrtle on Ice 12.6.2013

Life moves fast – so fast that we sometimes neglect our need for down time. Over the past few days, God gave us some much needed down time in the form of ice falling from the sky and, for that, I am truly thankful. And, as an added bonus, I am that much more ready to get back to work – that is, once the roads clear!